Foldable trim strip with mounting portion

ABSTRACT

An elongated trim strip is disclosed which includes an elongated mounting portion, an elongated decorative portion extending to one side of the mounting portion and a flexible connection between the two. At least one of the decorative portion and the mounting portion having means for joining the two portions together when the decorative portion is folded down upon the mounting portion. The mounting portion and the decorative portion are preferably configured to snap together.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 393,373, filed June 29, 1982,now U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,701.

DESCRIPTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to a trim strip which is foldable to include amounting portion which can be secured to a fascia or body side moldingand a decorative portion which can be folded down and secured to themounting portion.

2. Background Art

The application of elongated trim strips to supporting substrates inorder to decorate the same is well known, but there are problems in thatone must quickly and easily secure the trim strip to the support and, atthe same time, provide a decorative surface which is not disturbed bythe means used to achieve the desired securement. This is particularlydifficult to achieve when the securement is mechanical instead ofadhesive.

One effort in this direction is that shown in Wenrick's U.S. Pat. No.4,243,711 in which the trim strip is formed in two pieces, one piecebeing mechanically secured to a fascia, and the second piece beingsecured to the first piece. However, two separate pieces are required.Similarly, Wenrick's U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,297 employs a two-piece trimstrip and the second piece is bonded to the first which is secured tothe underlying substrate. Two pieces add expense and can separate.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

In accordance with this invention, an elongated trim strip is formed toinclude an elongated mounting portion, an elongated decorative portionextending to one side of said mounting portion, and a flexibleconnection between the two, and at least one of said decorative portionand said mounting portion having means for joining said two portionswhen the decorative portion is folded down upon said mounting portion.When in the unfolded position, the decorative portion is out of the waywhen the mounting portion is secured to an an underlying substrate orfascia, and the decorative portion can be secured to the mountingportion after the same has been mounted and without disturbing thedecorative surface of said decorative portion.

In preferred practice, the decorative portion and the mounting portionare extruded in a single piece with a flexible connection joining thetwo portions in the form of a thin connecting web between the two.Polyvinyl chloride plastic is the preferred material for extrusion, butother plastics are known to constitute trim strips. The decorativesurface is formed on the side of the decorative portion remote from thefacing surface of the mounting portion, or is visible from that side.

The undersurface of the mounting portion may be provided with anadhesive layer to enable the desired mounting, but it is preferred toemploy a mechanical securement, such as sewing, stapling, darts orself-locking eyelets. For such purpose, the mounting portion desirablyincludes depressions or holes to facilitate the sewing or staplingoperation.

The decorative portion annd the mounting portion include facingsurfaces, and one or the other or both of these surfaces may includemeans for joining the two portions together when they are foldedtogether. A simple adhesive layer protected with a release liner willserve this purpose, but it is preferred to employ a mechanical interlockwhich will snap together when the two portions are folded together.

One snap together structure which may be employed is an edge plasticstud extending inwardly of the outer edge of the decorative portion andwhich includes a beveled portion which snaps under a ledge carried bythe outer edge of the mounting portion. In this way, the two portionswill mechanically lock together with the locking elements beingconcealed beneath the outer edge of the folded down decorative portion.

This invention will be more fully understood from the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, in section, showing a trim strip formed inaccordance with this invention stapled to a fascia to decorate the same;and

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, in section, showing a modified trim strip inaccordance with this invention configured to snap together.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, an elongated polyvinyl chlorideextrusion 10 is formed in a single piece to include a decorative portion11, a mounting portion 12 and a flexible web 13 connecting the two. Theweb 13 is thinner than the decorative and mounting portions, and henceis preferentially flexible.

In normal practice one must form two separate pieces and this addsexpense.

The decorative portion is formed of clear plastic which encapsulates areflective layer 14, which is visible through the side of the decorativeportion remote from the mounting portion.

In FIG. 1, a staple 15 is shown securing the mounting portion 12 to thefascia 16, which may be a portion of an automobile bumper. The mountingportion 12 may be formed with holes or a depression 17 to facilitatepenetration of the mounting portion as part of the mounting operation.

The surface of the decorative portion 11 which faces the mountingportion 12 has bonded thereto a bonding tape 18 which is protected by arelease liner 19. The release liner is removed after the staples 15 havebeen used, whereupon the decorative portion is folded down upon thefacing surface of the mounting portion.

The trim strip shown in FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred form of theinvention which snaps together. This modified trim strip 20 has adecorative portion 21 and a mounting portion 22 which are interconnectedby a flexible web 23. The decorative portion 21 is of clear polyvinylchloride plastic having encapsulated within it a reflective layer 24.The mounting portion 22 may be pigmented for decoration or strength.

When trim strip 20 is in its unfolded position, the mounting portion 22is mechanically secured to the fascia 26 by staples 25. Then, a releaseliner (not shown in this figure) is removed to uncover an elastomer tape28 carried by the facing surface of decorative portion 21 (in the mannershown in FIG. 1) and this tape 28 helps to hold the folded structure inits folded position. However, the primary holding means is aself-locking mechanical snap which will now be described.

The outer edge 30 of the decorative portion 21 is formed with aninwardly extending plastic stud 31 which includes a beveled portion 32which is positioned to snap under an outwardly extending elevated ledge33 carried at the outer edge of the mounting portion 22. FIG. 2 showsthe structure in its snapped together folded position. As can be seen,the securing structure is concealed by the decorative portion 21.

What is claimed is:
 1. An elongated trim strip formed to include anelongated mounting portion, an elongated decorative portion extending toone side of said mounting portion and a flexible connection between thetwo foldably connecting the inner edges of said two portions, and meansfor joining said two portions when the decorative portion is folded downupon said mounting portion, said joining means comprising an outwardlyextending elevated ledge carried at the outer edge of said mountingportion and a stud positioned at the outer edge of said decorativeportion, said stud extending downwardly and then inwardly, the inwardlyextending portion including a beveled portion positioned at the innerend thereof, said beveled portion engaging said ledge to move said studoutwardly when said decorative portion is folded upon said mountingportion so that said stud is adapted to snap under said ledge.
 2. Anelongated trim strip as recited in claim 1, in which said trim strip isan extrusion in which said decorative portion, said mounting portion andthe flexible connection therebetween are extruded in a single piece withsaid flexible portion having the form of a thin connecting web extendingbetween said decorative portion and said mounting portion.
 3. Anelongated trim strip as recited in claim 1, in which the undersurface ofsaid decorative portion is flat.
 4. An elongated trim strip as recitedin claim 3 in which an adhesive layer is also present to hold saidportions together in the folded position.